“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” -Buddha***
We mortals are composed of two great schools--Enlightened knaves or else religious fools.
--Abul 'Ala al Ma'arri (973-1057)***
"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" -Auntie Mame
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Philosophy, History, Travel, the Arts, Whatever's on my Table...

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

President of the United States

President Hillary Clinton

As the New York Primary approaches, I continue to support HRC over Bernie because she has a realistic approach to leadership while Bernie remains a dreamer. I understand and empathize with millennials who support him and want to transform the country and the political system. That is what I hoped for in the 1970s. Any reasonable look at what is happening in the country as a whole shows us that the country is not ready to make that leap of faith. Trump is doing a better job rousing the irate anti-establishment vote than Bernie. Worse, many Bernie supporters have made an atheist into a religion. How is that for irony? They allow no criticism at all of their political Messiah. Meanwhile, they turn Hillary into some evil pawn of Wall St. and the oil industry, despite all the facts and evidence to the contrary. It is misguided, false and absurd, failing to acknowledge Hillary's years of progressive achievements. In short, the Bernie fanaticism has added to my support for Hillary. I think she will win big in New York (where the electorate is educated and skeptical) as well as the Northeast.

Here is my still held appreciation of our future President: A year ago I expressed my support of Hillary Clinton. I find today that the reasoning holds, that less has changed than one might think. I still greatly admire Bernie Sanders and support his ideals. What I find lacking in his campaign is a method of realizing his ideals. There has not been the predicted outpouring of support for him among the Democrats. He has not won over minority voters, without whose ardent support winning the general election is impossible for a Democrat. His democratic socialism is something I believe in strongly; but I don't believe the American electorate fully understands it. On the contrary, most Americans other than those right out of college, fear socialism. By contrast, Hillary Clinton has strong minority support and her method of governing, in my opinion, would be more successful. She represents both socialistic ideals and some capitalistic ideals. Without saying so, she is philosophically not far from Bernie Sanders on the economy and social programs. She will win the nomination, I believe, and the general election.

The Well Deserved Presidency of Hillary Clinton

("The argument that the two parties are the same is so tired and wrong. Be smug and superior and stay home and let the country go to Hell, right? Great. What difference does it make to the poor, the unemployed, the victims of war, those whose civil rights are trampled? Take a look at the records of Bernie Sanders, John Lewis and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren; then tell me they are no different from Rick Perry, Ted Cruz and the like ! Get real. If you can elect a Green Party candidate or a socialist, fine. If not, please don't turn the country over to the Tea Party." --from a FB Thread)

Why on Earth should I support and vote for Hillary Clinton for President if she is the Democratic candidate in 2016? Is she not supported by corporations? Is she not too one-sided for Israel against the Palestinians? Has she not voted for war repeatedly while I am a pacifist? Doesn't she represent everything wrong with American Politics, it's dependency on money and polls, its deception, its continual crafty appeasement of special interests, its desire for power? Isn't Hillary no different from her husband, in the final analysis?

Oh yes, all those criticisms have some truth and validity. There are plenty more we could make, too.

Whenever there is a presidential election in my country, I think of Plato's critique of Democracy. The reason I think of it is because of all the blatant flaws in democracy he discusses in his dialog from The Republic. Never was this more obvious than when we elected Ronald Reagan. Even an actor may become the leader in a democracy, Plato wrote. People are swayed by personality, false promises, the candidate's looks, the most absurd and empty traits of popularity. Sound bites trump substance. Watch the debates.Then there is our economic system: capitalism. How great it would be for the country actively tosupport socialism, even the limited socialism of Bernie Sanders, or Scandinavia. But the vast majority think democracy means capitalism, that business checked or unchecked is good. The Democratic party is where our few true democratic socialists reside. The Republicans are for unrestricted capitalist greed, especially that of the oil companies.

Right now, the U.S. electorate is ready for a woman president. Yes, there will be some who will say-- A woman yes; but not this one. But they are the minority. Hillary Clinton is the one who can win right now; and most of us know this. She will have to posture herself to meet the Platonic requisites of popularity and appearance; but she could win.

Hillary, in my view, is not "the lesser of two evils." She has stood for many positive causes in our society, notably Universal Healthcare. She is on the side of same-sex marriage as opposed to Republicans who are adamantly against it. She fights for voter rights rather than voter suppression. She has a favorable record on dealing with climate change. She would select Justices for the Supreme Court who do not believe corporations are people. Before you say she's the same as the Republican opponent in 2016, check her record below against any of the likely Republicans: